Mulching hoe



Nov. 7, 1933. H. H. HOVLAND 1,933,625

MULCHING HOE Filed Feb. 11, 1931 l /v VE/VTOR. Mews //0VL/7/Y0 Z UNITED srA Patented Nov. 7, 1933 TES PATENT OFFICE- MULCHING HOE] Hans H. Hovland, Wheeler, Wis. Application February 11, 1931. Serial No'."514,946 2 Claims. (01.37415 My invention has for its object to provide an improved mulching hoe for cultivating tobacco and other row-grown plants, and to this end, my invention consists of the novel devices and com- I '.5 binations of devices hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

My invention, in its preferred form, is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and therein, like notations refer to like parts, throughout the several views;

Fig. l is a plan view of my improved mulching hoe with part of the handle broken away;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a section on 1; and

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

The numeral 5 represents a toothed mulching blade which is preferably made of tempered steel and is toothed on both edges, and these teeth are beveled on their upper faces, as clearly shown at 5a in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. This blade 5 is provided at its opposite ends with slotted eyes 6,.the slots of which extend endwise of the blade. The numeral '1 represents a resilient bow preferably made out of tempered steel with its body portion thicker than the line 3--3 of Fig.

its curved end portions so that these end portions can be readily sprung toward each other on the body portion. The extremeends or tips 7a of the curved portions of the bow 7 are bent so as to stand at slight angles to the adjacent curved portions of the bow, and when the curved portions are sprung toward each other, these bent tips may be engaged with the slotted eyes 6 of the blade 5 under tension, so that the resiliency in the curved portions of the bow will hold the blade 5 distended while connecting the same to the cow 7, in such a way that the two elements may be readily separated whenever so desired, such, for example, as when it is necessary to sharpen the teeth of the blade. The said bow 7 and blade 7 5 might be used by themselves, if the'workman was disposed to stoop over enough so to do, but it is, of course, desirable to have a handle so that a workman can handle the hoe when standing or, moving in an upright position. Hence, a handle 8 with ferrule 8a and a ferrule cap 81) at its lower end, is provided, and this handle is connected to the bow 7 by an angularly adjustable clamp which permits the bow '7 and blade 5' to be set at slightly variable angles to the handle. As shown, the said clamp is composed of two metallic brackets 9 and 10. The bracket 9 is of angular form with two arms of unequal length, and the short arm of this bracket 9 is of channel shape and adapted to engage with the body portion 7 of the bow and be rigidly secured thereto by nutted bolts 11, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This bracket 9 is of a length about equal to onethird the length of the body portion of the bow '7 and secured to the central portion of the bow. The bracket 10 is made up of an expanded or body portion, which might be called its foot portion, and a reduced central portion projecting therefrom at an angle thereto and adapted to be driven into the socket of the ferrule handle for securing the mulching hoe to the handle. The foot portion of the bracket 10 is adjustably secured'to the long arm of the bracket 9 by nutted bolts 12 applied near the lower edge of the said foot por 7 0' tion of said bracket 10, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing. The said foot portion of the bracket 10 also carries a headed tap screw bolt 13 screw-seated therein in such position that its lower end can contact the upper face of the long arm of the bracket 9, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. In virtue of this construction, by loosening or tightening the nuts on the'nutted bolts 12, and properly adjusting the threaded tap bolt 13, the two brackets 9 and 10 can be rigidly secured together with the mulching hoe properly setat slightly different angles to the handle 8 of the hoe. The range of angular adjustment is not large, but it is sufficient for the variation needed in the relations of the hoe proper to the hoe 35 handle for the most advantageous use of the hoe. This mulching hoe illustrated in the drawing and above described, is especially well adapted for the cultivation of tobacco plants, and other row-grown plants for the removal of young weeds [and grass without deeply digging up the soil or injuring the roots of the plants. The .workman manipulates the hoe in such a way as to produce a sliding, rather than a digging action from the toothed blade 5 while the workman moves along over the ground, and the teeth of the blade will sever, or pull up the little weeds and the grass while the soil will remain comparatively level; behind the hoe when the hoe is used at about the angle shown in Fig. 2, of the drawing. Then, by turning the hoe over, to a complete half circle,

the workman can use the hoe as a rake and the teeth thereof will enable him to gather the weeds and grass into bunches while smoothing down the disturbed portions of the soil from which the weeds and grass were removed. I The fact that the teeth of the blade 5'are beveled on their upper faces, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and4 of the drawing, has quite a little to do with the successful action of this mulching hoe. In view of those beveled surfaces, the stems of the weeds and the grass are guided in between the teeth of the blade in such a way that the cutting edges of the teeth" operate on the stems of the weeds and blades of grass with a shearing cut, and also with an upward pulling action on the roots of the weeds and grass.

By actual usage of full sized working specimens, the practicability and utility of my improved, imulching hoe has been fully demonstrated.

What I claim is:-

1. A mulching hoe comprising a steel blade having opposite faces and opposite edges, there being teeth out in the opposite edges of saidblade and the teeth of said blade being doubly bevelled from one face of the blade, a handle, and means connecting said blade to saidhandle in'such relation that the face of said blade from which said teeth are bevelled is facing toward said handle.

shoulders to retain'said 2. In a soil working tool, an elongated handle, a resilient bow secured to said handle, each end of said bow having a portion reduced in width to form a shoulder, part of said reduced portion being out-turned, and a soil working blade having a pair of laterally spaced, laterally disposed slots therethrough, each of said slots having a width slightly greater than the widths of the reduced-portions of saidbow-and:alengthxslightly greaterlthan the length of the out turned portions of said bow, said out-turned portion being adapted to be thrust through said slots while said bow is held in inwardly flexed relation after which release of said bow will result in outward movement of the said out-turned portions to respectively engage one side of said blade to hold the other side of said blade against said blade in connected relation with said bow.

HANS H. HOVLAND. 

